


The Lady of the Vault

by Squidtastic



Category: Star Wars, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: F/M, SFW at the moment, Will eventually be Explicit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2016-04-16
Packaged: 2018-06-02 13:23:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6568015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squidtastic/pseuds/Squidtastic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Poe Dameron, the best pilot in the galaxy, is sent on a mission to retrieve an item from a First Order storage vault, but what he finds changes his world forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Lady of the Vault

**Author's Note:**

> This started from an rp on Tumblr that I'm involved in and I sort of ran with it, haha. I hope you enjoy it! Please leave a kudos if you do! Thank you!

It could certainly be said: the tides were changing.

After the fall of the Empire, the galaxy knew peace. It had prospered and grown as peace spread. The galaxy, and its people, were finally healing.

But a new threat had emerged. From the ashes of the fallen Empire, the First Order stepped into the light, threatening to overturn the peace the galaxy so desperately clung to. Just as strong as the Empire itself, the First Order was a force to the reckoned with. The entire Order was ruthless and they were advancing faster than anyone could have ever expected. It was very plain; either you were with them or against them. The galaxy was on edge, waiting to see what they would do. Some systems were completely gripped by fear, collapsing under its terrible weight.

But there were those who were not so afraid. Those that had faced terror like this before and swore to end its reign. A band of individuals from all walks of life, all species and races, came together to face this threat and eliminate it. They were called, quite simply, the Resistance. Lead by the brave Leia Organa, they set up secret bases throughout the galaxy to beat back the First Order.

One such base was located on the Outer Rim planet of D'Qar. It was the perfect place. It was out of the way of the Republic and not a prime target of the crime syndicates of the Outer Rim. The base housed many of the Resistance's ships, a well stocked medbay and a sprawling command center. They were well equipped there and many Resistance fighters called D'Qar their new home. General Organa had chosen D'Qar to base herself out of and worked closely with her fighters there.

It was General Organa that had received new information on an upcoming move by the First Order. If they were going to act, it had to be now. Gathered in the command center, she had called together several of her officers and the pilot she had chosen to undertake the mission.

The mission in question was exceedingly simple. The First Order had made plans to unload useless equipment, machinery and supplies to a number of vaults erected on a small planet. Their pilot had to find them, observe the drop off and, if needed, take anything he could manage to load onto his ship, if it would help them. The most important, intriguing piece of information was a last minute note. A First Order General by the name of Ral Varos had cut into the conversation to report that he was going to add something to the vault. Something of great personal value, though he never said what.

“According to the information we received, the vault assigned to Varos' ship is located on an island in the south sea. The planet is yet unnamed and hasn't been properly explored, so there isn't much to go on. The coordinates aren't even logged in a public forum. We received them from our informant based on his, frankly, outdated navicomputer,” she explained.

“Are there any friendly stations in the area?” Admiral Statura asked.

“Not that we've seen,” Leia replied.

“That could pose a problem,” replied the pilot she had been addressing.

General Organa looked to him, then back to the star chart that she had plotted the coordinates on, “Why do you say that?”

“With no exploration, there will likely be no friendly transmitters in the area. It might be hard getting messages back,” he said.

Leia nodded slowly, “That could be true, but I have every confidence that you can complete this mission without much trouble. The Unknown Regions may pose a challenge to you, but I know you can handle this. You're out best pilot and I trust you with this, Poe.”

The pilot she had charged with this mission was Poe Dameron. He had been with the Resistance for a long time and quickly rose through the ranks to Commander. He was a head strong and confident individual with skills matched by almost none. He smiled softly, feeling his confidence soar at her words. He nodded firmly, “I won't let you down, ma'am.”

“I know you won't,” she replied, “You're dismissed, Commander.”

Poe gave the General a salute and hurried off, data chip in hand. The chip had everything he needed on it. The coordinates, a transcript of the messages they had intercepted, and a brief run down of the overall mission he was to complete. He was not going to fail this mission. Even with the issue of transmitters, he promised himself that he wouldn't come back empty handed.

Armed with a new sense of confidence he gathered the few things he needed from his private quarters(including his beloved astromech, BB-8), then quickly headed over to the hangar where the ships were stored. He walked along, bag of clothes and supplies in hand, BB-8 following behind chirping excitedly.

Upon arriving, Poe found himself face to face with an upsetting sight.

“Poe Dameron!” he heard from his side.

He turned to see a young mechanic approaching him. Her name was Nira Keel. She was of average height, only a few inches shorter than himself. She was thin, but athletic, needing the muscle to do her job. She was human, like himself, with black hair and striking eyes. They were almost orange. A family trait, she always claimed. She had a round face and a small round nose, dotted with a few freckles. Her tanned skin marred by a few spots of grease and oil. She approached him with a data pad and was looking quite jovial. Poe liked Nira. She had gone through serious hardships in her time with the Resistance, but with the way she carried herself, no one would ever know. Poe knew she was still in therapy, but she was coping with her pain and he respected that. They didn't have much interaction during their day-to-day, but they had bonded over their appreciation for the engines in the T-70 X-Wings enough so that Nira had gifted Poe with one of his more well liked nicknames, 'Poe-Boy.'

“Nira Keel,” Poe replied, “How are you?”

“As well as ever, I s'pose,” she said, looking down at the data pad, then back to him, “You don't look happy, Poe-boy. Tell me why.”

Poe sighed and gestured to the ship in the center of the hangar floor, “What's this? I wanted to be out of here as soon as possible, but my X-wing isn't ready. I'm sorry to complain, but I thought your crew was better than this.”

Nira looked mildly confused, maybe even a little offended, but she didn't fire back right away. She looked down at the data pad and huffed, looking over the screen with extra scrutiny.

“I have here,” she grumbled in her thick accent, “that Poe Dameron, you, would be 'round 'shortly' to receive a ship needed to take on a mission to the Unknown Regions. The details of which are to remain classified.”

“Exactly,” Poe said, glad that she had that straight, at least.

“Well, I hate to break it t'ya, Poe-boy, but the ship in question is listed as a Lambda-class T-4A shuttle,” she said, turning the data pad so that he could see.

Poe read the instructions carefully, confirming that, yes, he was to take the Lambda. He noted the message was signed by the General herself. He groaned, “Is this for real? I could get down there and back in no time flat with my X-wing!”

Nira shrugged, “Maybe they think you'll be hauling something back.”

Poe glanced to Nira, then looked back at the Lambda. He heaved a sigh. She was right. If there was anything they could use, Poe was charged with bringing it back, especially whatever Ral Varos was putting in the vault.

He nodded, his shoulders suddenly feeling heavy, “Well, is she ready?”

“Absolutely, Poe-boy. I've done the inspection m'self and she's as fit as the day she was completed,” Nira replied, tucking the data pad under her arm.

The two slowly approached the vessel, BB-8 following behind them. As they neared the boarding ramp, Nira cleared her throat awkwardly, “This is a classified mission, right?”

“Exactly,” Poe replied, “So how much do you know?”

“Not a lot,” Nira said, shrugging, “But I did hear a name.”

Poe stopped and turned to Nira. She was looking at the ground, shifting her weight awkwardly from foot to foot. She flexed her fingers nervously.

“What name?” Poe knew what name.

“Ral Varos,” she said, finally looking up at him. There was fear in her eyes. It was old, but Poe saw it. He knew that look. He had seen that same fear in so many others.

He nodded stiffly, “That's the guy.”

“Listen,” she said, shifting again, “If ya see 'im. Y'know, out there, doin' whatever it is yer gonna do, will ya promise me one thing?”

Poe nodded, “I'll try. What is it?”

“Kill 'im,” she replied.

Poe sighed softly. He wanted to agree, but there were several things standing in his way. His orders to remain hidden, his apprehension to engage the enemy with no back up, the off chance that Ral won't personally over see the drop. He reached out with his free hand and placed it on her shoulder. He squeezed firmly and offered her a sad smile, “Listen. You'll get your chance. It's not now, but I promise you that you'll get your chance. He won't survive this war.”

“It's not just for me,” she said softly.

“I know it's not,” Poe replied, “But I promise you, in the end, it'll all work out.”

Nira hesitated, but nodded and forced a small smile, “Good luck, Poe-boy. Stay safe out there.”

“I will, Nira. I promise,” he said with a smile.

He looked down at the droid behind him and smiled, “C'mon, buddy, Let's get going.”

As Poe walked up the ramp, Nira called after him, “You better take care of that droid! He was just repainted!”

“I always take care of him!” Poe called back with a laugh.

“Tell that to him!” Nira countered.

As Poe entered the ship, he tossed his bag down and went straight for the cockpit. He would have preferred the X-wing, but he was comfortable in anything, really. The Lambda was no exception. Within minutes, Poe was off the ground and speeding toward the sky. Within the hour, he had broken through the atmosphere and was on his way into the galaxy.

The journey to the Unknown Regions wasn't as long as Poe had anticipated, but there was still plenty of time to be bored out of his skull and worry about what he might encounter. His worries were short lived, as he always came to the conclusion that no matter what he faced, he would fight his way out of it and return home. Poe kept his chin up and his thoughts as positive as possible. A lot of people were counting on him. He couldn't doubt himself.

As he entered the Unknown regions, his navicomputer located the planet with ease. After doing a quick scan of the nearby area, he headed straight for the planet. It seemed the First Order hadn't yet arrived. It wasn't safe to dawdle, so he quickly made his way into the atmosphere of the planet.

Finding the planet had been easy and finding the vaults the First Order had built was even easier. They were massive black metal structures that stood out against the lush green vegetation of the planet. The vault in question, assigned to the ship Ral Varos occupied, stood on an island just off the mainland. Poe landed the Lambda a safe distance away and made his way toward the vault on foot. BB-8 followed behind him, not making a sound, thankfully. Usually he was quite a talkative little droid.

Poe settled in the dense brush a safe distance away and waited patiently, scoping out the area. Not long after, right on schedule, the First Order's ships began to arrive.

The drop off ran like clockwork.

Like a well oiled machine, drop ships came down one by one, meeting the troopers and officers that took their places in front of the vault. They offloaded all manner of things. Crates, metal barrels, deactivated droids, even medical supplies and equipment, not something you’d expect them to store away. Poe watched carefully, taking a mental inventory of everything he could readily identify. He wasn't sure what was in half of the crates and barrels, but he was banking on more medical supplies to roll in.

The whole process was so smooth and took only a few hours to complete. Before the last shuttle left, a small ship landed in front of the vault. An officer exited the vehicle and stepped quickly over to the lesser officer standing near the door to the vault. They exchanged a few small words and the newly arrived officer headed back into the small passenger ship.

There was no doubt, this was Ral Varos. The messages had spoken of the General putting something of high personal value into the vault, but so far, nothing looked out of the ordinary. Poe wondered if the message was wrong and that Ral only meant to personally oversee the drop, not actually put anything inside of the vault.

When the General emerged from the ship once again, he pulled a hoversled behind him, confirming that the message had been correct after all. A large metal crate had been loaded onto the sled with a smaller metal box set on top of it. With no label, it was impossible to say what could have been inside of the crate, but it had to be something good if Ral was storing it in such a secure vault. It was hard to tell, but if you looked close enough, it almost appeared that the crate was moving. Whatever was inside of that crate, that had to be it. The whole reason Poe was here had to be in that crate.

Ral pulled the sled to the mouth of the vault and lowered it to the ground. He moved to the front of the crate and pulled the lid open after handing the small box off to his lesser officer. He angled himself over the crate and gazed down inside, speaking softly to the contents. As if it wasn’t strange enough, he apparently didn’t like the response he got because his hands snapped into the crate and seized whatever was inside. He straightened up, pulling with him the mysterious contents.

Surprisingly, what came with him was a woman. She was pulled up and out of the crate, then set on her feet next to it.

Poe was beyond shocked. He didn't know what to do or how to react. He continued to watch, hoping the whole situation would start making sense. Judging by her state, it was likely she was pulled out of bed before being stuffed into her odd prison. Her pale blonde hair was sectioned into two parts and the lengths had been braided to the ends. Most of it was wrapped up into an elegant bun at the nape of her neck with the ends trailing over her shoulders in long plaits. Her gown was thin and pale blue, a nightgown, truly. The sleeves were long and hung off of her shoulders, stretching to her wrists. She wore no shoes or foot coverings of any kind. The only piece of jewelry she had on was a wide, decorative silver necklace. Perhaps something she had not removed before bed.

She looked frightened, as anyone would be when dealing with the First Order. Ral spoke softly to her, even gently caressing her cheek. His inquiry was met negatively, if the shake of her head was any indication. Ral did not take this well. He seized the woman by the back of the neck and practically dragged her to the vault. She fought against him, but her small frame was no match for his strength. She was shoved into the vault with such force that she lost her already unstable footing and fell to the cold durasteel floor with an audible thump.

Ral seized the box from the officer and threw it in after her, barely missing her crumpled form. He snapped harshly at her, then stepped to the panel just to the right of the opening. He keyed in a short 4 digit code and watched the vault doors slam shut, sealing the contents, and the woman, inside.

Ral leaned in close to the officer bearing witness to the bizarre events and spoke in a hushed, harsh tone. The officer, despite his uneasy look nodded and shouted two simple words, “Yes, sir!”

With that, Ral turned and boarded the passenger ship. Within minutes, it was gone. The officer loaded the forgotten sled onto the last drop ship and it, too, was gone a short time later.

Now, all that stood between the Resistance and this vault of goods was a few meters of grass and stone, but Poe couldn't move just yet. He was utterly shocked.

He looked down to BB-8, “Did you see that?” BB-8 confirmed that he, too, had seen the odd display.

Poe suddenly snapped out of it and came out of the brush. He sprinted toward the vault, calling back to the droid behind him, “C'mon, buddy! We can't leave her in there!”

BB-8 chirped loudly and sped after him as they raced for the vault door. Poe had paid close attention to the key code and quickly entered it into the panel. He then stepped back and waited for the massive doors to open. Once they had, he stepped inside.

The woman hadn't moved since the doors had shut. She lay on the floor, crying softly. Poe stood there for a moment, not sure what to do. After what seemed an age, she picked her head up and slowly turned to look at him. She gasped sharply and rolled into her back, then scooted backwards away from him. Poe's hands flew up, palms open toward her, showing her that he was unarmed.

“It's alright!” he said quickly, “It's alright, I won't hurt you!”

“Who are you?!” she demanded.

“My name is Poe,” he said, inching toward her, “Poe Dameron. I'm with the Resistance. I'm here to rescue you.”

She backed herself against a crate, still shaking and fearful. Poe knelt slowly, offering her a hand.

“What's your name?” he asked softly.

She hesitated, but then spoke softly, “Bronwyn.”

“Bronwyn?” he repeated, “Pretty name.”

She said nothing, just shook against the crate. Up close, Poe noted her features. She was small, likely several inches shorter than himself when she stood. Her pale blonde hair looked soft and shiny, all swept away from her thin face. Her eyes were a soft amber color and hadn't moved from him since he approached. The gown she wore was truly a nightgown. While it wasn't transparent, it left little to the imagination. Poe made sure not to look for more than a moment. Her skin was pale and not a singe mark, that he could see, marred it.

He found himself staring and quickly snapped himself out of it.

“Ral Varos locked you in here, right?” Poe asked.

She only nodded.

“What kind of man puts a person inside of a storage vault?” Poe grumbled, mostly to himself, “Why did he do this to you?”

She sniffled, “Because I don't agree with his methods.”

Poe shook his head, though he wasn't surprised. Honestly, she was lucky to be alive. He urged her to take his hand, “Come on. I'm gonna help you.”

She seemed to consider taking his hand for a long moment. She reached out to him, but at the last second, she recoiled, “How can I trust you?”

“Because I'm fighting against what your General stands for,” Poe said.

“How am I to know that?” she asked, still shaking like a leaf.

“Why not believe me?” Poe asked.

“You could be a test,” she said.

“A test?”

“Yes!” she cried, “If I accept your help, he will call it treason and have me imprisoned! Or worse!”

Poe was astonished. She was so afraid. What had this man done to her?

Poe sighed, “I have no way of proving it to you unless you blindly trust me. It's a lot to ask, but you have to do it if I'm gonna help you.”

Bronwyn hesitated again. Poe suddenly remembered the blaster on his hip. He removed the blaster from the holster and offered it to her. This was, by far, the biggest risk he had ever taken.

“Take this. If I ever give you reason not to trust me, pull the trigger,” he said.

She looked between his eyes and the gun before her. She shook her head, “I can't do that.”

“If you ever feel unsafe, I'm giving you permission to kill me,” Poe said, “Take it.”

She shook her head again “I've never fired a blaster before.”

“How'd you manage to survive in the First Order?” Poe asked, “Look, you just aim the blaster and squeeze the trigger, okay? Take it.”

Again, she shook her head “No!”

“You're being a little silly for a First Order officer,” Poe said, raising a brow.

Her own brow furrowed, “I'm not an officer.”

“Not an officer?” Poe questioned.

“I'm a prize,” she answered.

Now he was really confused and even more concerned for her. He put the blaster back in its holster and looked back to her, “You listen to me. I am not with the First Order. I am a Resistance fighter and I promise, I swear on my mother's grave, that I will not hurt you.”

Bronwyn looked into his eyes, searching for something. She apparently found it because she reached out and took his hand. Whatever that something was, Poe hoped it was sincerity. He smiled and gently squeezed her hand.

“Bronwyn, right?” Poe asked,

She nodded.

“Well, it's wonderful to meet you, Bronwyn. You can call me Poe, alright?” he said, helping her to her feet.

Poe looked down at BB-8, whom had been surprisingly quiet this whole time, “Scout inside and see what you find. Remember, we're looking for something of Ral's. Something he'd value highly. See if there's anything out of the ordinary that might be his, okay? Alert me if there's trouble, I'm going to get her back to the ship.”

BB-8 beeped affirmatively and headed off into the vault. 

Poe turned to Bronwyn and slowly made his way out of the vault with her. He began leading her away from the structure and toward the wooded area where his ship was hiding. As they walked, Poe noticed her wince more than once and she hissed quietly a few times. He was about to ask if she was alright when he remembered that she wore no shoes. He stopped and looked down at her bare feet. He cleared his throat softly, “Would you like me to carry you?”

Bronwyn's pale cheeks turned a sudden dark shade of red and she avoided his eyes, “Yes, please.”

Poe smiled gently and bent down to scoop her up. Once she was comfortable in his arms, he started off toward the Lambda once again.

As they walked, Poe remembered something she had said. He looked to her and cleared his throat, “Something is bugging me. Would you mind explaining?”

She paused, looking confused, but nodded, “I'll try.”

“When you said you were a prize, what did you mean?” Poe asked.

She looked sad suddenly and she looked away from him. He almost expected her not to answer, but she finally spoke up, “The thing you were searching for. The 'item of high value'? It's me.”

Poe stared at her for a moment, “He planned on putting you in there?”

“He did, yes,” she responded.

“Forgive me, but are you some sort of slave? Or a..personal companion? You mentioned not being an officer, so,” Poe was so confused and hoped she would clear things up quickly.

At the question, however, her head whipped up and she glared hard at him, “I'm no slave! I'm a princess!”

Poe was taken aback by her sudden force and he lowered his head slightly, “Forgive me, your Highness, I didn't know.”

She huffed and settled in his arms, not answering him or dismissing his mistake.

“Did Ral Varos kidnap you? Are you being held for ransom or something like that?” Poe asked, “I only want to know so I can help you.”

Bronwyn shook her head, “No, nothing like that.”

“So, if you're not a prisoner and you're not a slave, what are you?” Poe asked as they approached the ship.

She took a slow breath as Poe walked up the Lambda's ramp, “I'm his wife.”

Poe nearly dropped her then and there. His eyes were wide and he wasn't sure what to do or say, “My goodness.”

She frowned, “I'm not dangerous.”

Poe looked at her, but he wasn't sure if he entirely believed her. Many a man had been led to death by the hand of a pretty woman. He wasn't going to take her lightly. At least, not yet. He set her down gently in a passenger's seat and stood straight up. He pulled out his commlink and messaged BB-8, asking him to return as quickly as he could. The droid beeped in the affirmative and cut the transmission. Poe slid the commlink back onto his belt and knelt down in front of the princess before him.

“Are you injured? Did he hurt you?” Poe asked softly.

Bronwyn shook her head, “A few bruises, perhaps, but I think I'm alright.”

He nodded, “You want anything for the bruises?”

She shook her head, “I think I'll be alright.”

Poe nodded again and got to his feet, “Listen, I'm going to have a look around, okay? Will you be alright until I get back?”

Bronwyn nodded, “Yes, of course. How should I contact you if there's trouble?”

Poe nodded toward the ramp “My droid's on his way back. He'll let me know.”

She nodded and settled into the seat, her arms wrapped protectively around her middle.

Poe gave her a reassuring smile and stepped off the Lambda just as BB-8 reached the ship. He knelt in front of the little round droid.

“Listen, you watch her. If she makes a move toward the cockpit, you stop her. Whatever it takes, alright?” Poe said.

BB-8 beeped quickly, shocked that Poe would suggest harming a lady.

“I'm not sure we can trust her yet, buddy. She's Varos' wife. This whole thing could be an elaborate set up. We have to be on our toes,” Poe said, getting to his feet.

BB-8 hesitated, but beeped positively and began rolling up the ramp into the ship. Poe heaved a sigh and headed back toward the vault.

This was not how this mission was supposed to go.


End file.
